Vanishing Point Mechanism Longivity

[kikopens]

How long does the mechanism on the Vanishing point last with normal daily usage? Has anyone faced any issues with it?

[Honeybadgers]

I've never heard of a single one failing.

[SpecTP]

I own 2 and I use them both daily for the last 3yrs.

[kikopens]

Was asking this cause there are no Pilot services available in India. If it fails, its pretty much the bin. I don't think many pen repairers in India can repair a VP

[sirgilbert357]

The VP/Capless has been in production for over 40 years if I'm not mistaken. It's not changed much in that time and is about as reliable pens come. I would just buy from a reputable seller to ensure you have a warranty. If there are any issues initially, you want to be able to return it for a refund...

 

Edit: also, why couldn't you just mail it to Pilot for warranty service/repair?

Edited June 11, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[Newton Pens]

Edit: also, why couldn't you just mail it to Pilot for warranty service/repair?

 

This.

 

Also - very durable. Probably nothing to worry about. It's a couple of pieces of plastic that rotate against each other, and a couple of springs. Sure, you could lose the springs, but don't do that. Your pen will be fine.

 

Here's a fun video showing the guts of clicks-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhVw-MHGv4s

[OmegaMountain]

I will say that the black PVD of the pusher on my gunmetal VP is starting to show scoring from use and I don't use mine anywhere near every day.

[rwilsonedn]

I used a VP every day at work for several years, opening and closing it frequently as I took notes in meetings. I never saw any sign of wear or felt the mechanism loosening up at all.

ron

[sirgilbert357]

I will say that the black PVD of the pusher on my gunmetal VP is starting to show scoring from use and I don't use mine anywhere near every day.

 

 

Surface wear is inevitable with PVD. There is no coating that can be applied to a metal that will NOT show wear over time when two pieces of metal rub together like that. This is different than the click mechanism failing to deploy the nib altogether though.

Edited June 11, 2019 by sirgilbert357

[DrDebG]

I have had Pilot VPs for well over 15 years and have never had problem with a mechanism. They have worked well opening and closing with no signs of wear yet. I have noticed that in my oldest VP, the gold fitting near the plunger is loose, but this hasn't affected the use of the pen.

[Orthostylos]

I have a faceted stealth Namiki Vanishing Point from 1998 (21 years now) and the mechanism has always worked perfectly. I use it daily, and the clicker shows the appropriate "brassing" which I embrace as war wounds we have gone through together.

 

Edited June 11, 2019 by Orthostylos

[OmegaMountain]

 

 

Surface wear is inevitable with PVD. There is no coating that can be applied to a metal that will NOT show wear over time when two pieces of metal rub together like that. This is different than the click mechanism failing to deploy the nib altogether though.

Yeah, I know it's going to happen but you'd think they could design a plastic piece in there for the plunger to slide in that would reduce the wear...

[sirgilbert357]

Yeah, I know it's going to happen but you'd think they could design a plastic piece in there for the plunger to slide in that would reduce the wear...

 

 

Since most of the other versions of this pen don't suffer from the same wear, designing it differently just for the matte black version would have added to production costs and likely required additional spare parts to be kept on hand solely for the matte black version. It was probably just not cost effective...

[A Smug Dill]

Yeah, I know it's going to happen but you'd think they could design a plastic piece in there for the plunger to slide in that would reduce the wear...

 

 

Let's take your statement of, "they could..." at face value, and accept that the manufacturer has the capability to do so. Why would it, then? Would it significantly increase demand and/or sales of that model of pen? Has it been enough of a deterrent to stop those who like the look of the model from buying it in the first place, with possibly a very small proportion being dissatisfied with the worn-out or 'distressed' look after several years of frequent use, and then a subset again of those pen owners may opt to buy a brand new replacement (as I've also entertained)?

[BaronWulfraed]

And since one is discussing something to reduce wear on the shaft of the button, that means the new part has to be sacrificial -- that is, it will wear faster than the finish of the button. That leads to the possibility of an increasingly wobbly button as even a "low friction bushing" slowly enlarges.

[sirgilbert357]

And since one is discussing something to reduce wear on the shaft of the button, that means the new part has to be sacrificial -- that is, it will wear faster than the finish of the button. That leads to the possibility of an increasingly wobbly button as even a "low friction bushing" slowly enlarges.

 

 

I honestly don't know if PVD would stand up to repeated friction against even a plastic ring or something. If I had to bet on it, I'd say it would still end up showing wear, maybe just not quite as fast. I think Pilot knows these matte black versions take on a sort of patina and they have zero motivation to change the design to avoid it. Lots of people like the look of patina - and not just with their pens...

[Karmachanic]

I think Pilot knows these matte black versions take on a sort of patina and they have zero motivation to change the design to avoid it. Lots of people like the look of patina - and not just with their pens...

 

侘寂 Transient and imperfect.

[BaronWulfraed]

I was thinking teflon, not just plain nylon -- but in either case, one is talking about a design change to add an additional point of failure, an additional step in assembly, etc.

[A Smug Dill]

I will say that the black PVD of the pusher on my gunmetal VP is starting to show scoring from use and I don't use mine anywhere near every day.

 

Here's a photo (from last October) of my matte black Pilot Capless Vanishing Point pen, which served for a few years as close to an 'everyday carry' pen as I have in my collection. https://www.fountainpennetwork.com/forum/topic/340038-looking-for-a-very-robust-pen/?p=4117769

 

There's no wear or scoring on the surface of the push- (or 'knock', as Pilot seems to call it) button that I can see on it. On that basis, I certainly don't consider the absence of something to protect the finish of any part of the pen, including the push-button aesthetically to be a design shortcoming or undesirable omission in its manufacture.

[Wolverine1]

I have a Vanishing POint that was bought around 2003 or so. It has been used every single day since. It seems to be just fine. You know, it is not some poorly manufactured desi pen. You need not worry about the mechanism of a Vanishing Point failing.